01.26.07
4 p.m. CST Friday, Jan. 26, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston
STATUS REPORT: ISS07-05
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT #07-05
The crew aboard the International Space Station focused this week on
preparing for an unprecedented series of spacewalks set to begin in a
few days.
Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Suni
Williams will begin a 6.5-hour spacewalk from the station at about 9
a.m. CST on Wednesday, Jan. 31. It will be the first of a record four
spacewalks planned during the next month.
Lopez-Alegria and Williams will conduct other spacewalks on Feb. 4 and
Feb. 8. The first three spacewalks will originate from the station's
Quest airlock, and the astronauts will use U.S. spacesuits.
Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin will use Russian
spacesuits for a Feb. 22 spacewalk originating from the station's
Pirs airlock.
The three U.S. spacewalks will rearrange the station's cooling system,
bringing online new portions of the system that were activated during
a shuttle mission in December. The Russian spacewalk will free a
stuck antenna on the ISS Progress 23 cargo craft docked to the aft
end of the station, ensuring that craft can undock safely in April.
The crew began the week unloading some of the more than 2.5 tons of
food, fuel and supplies that were delivered to the station on Jan. 19
by the ISS Progress 24 cargo craft. Supplies aboard the 24th Progress
to visit the station included fresh produce, gifts from home, new
clothing, spare parts, oxygen and water.
The crew's attention quickly turned to preparations for the upcoming
spacewalks. On Monday, the crew began working with the U.S.
spacesuits. Batteries for the suits were charged, and the suit
cooling systems cleaned.
On Tuesday, Lopez-Alegria and Williams trained using an onboard,
laptop computer-based simulation. The training refreshed their skills
operating the Simplified Aid For Extravehicular Activity Rescue
(SAFER) jetpack that is worn on spacesuits. The SAFER backpack allows
spacewalkers to fly themselves back to the station in the event they
become untethered and separated from the complex.
On Thursday, ground controllers in Houston commanded the station's
robotic arm to maneuver into the position it will occupy for the
start of the spacewalk. Aboard the station, the crew set time aside
to review the plans for the first spacewalk.
Lopez-Alegria and Williams continued checks of their spacesuits and
checks of the SAFER backpacks Friday. The SAFER backpacks are
propelled by compressed nitrogen gas, and, during the checkout, the
harmless gas was released, depleting the nitrogen in one unit below
the usable quantity. Two other usable SAFER backpacks remain onboard,
however, and the loss of the third unit does not affect plans for the
upcoming spacewalks.
The crew took time out from their work on Monday to speak with
television host Martha Stewart. Crew members also took time to field
questions from two schools, one in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and
another in Winnebago, Neb., by amateur radio.
The next station status report will be issued following the spacewalk
on Wednesday, Jan. 31, or earlier if events warrant. For more about
the crew's activities and station sighting opportunities, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-